In 1974, after making several seminal albums as a solo multi-instrumentalist, erstwhile Nazz leader Todd Rundgren chose to give group life another go by forming Utopia. Their debut album is a dazzling display of prog rock perfection, dominated by three epic-length suites (plus the comparatively concise "Freedom Fighters"). Marked by long, complex instrumental passages, the record finds Rundgren's guitar sharing the foreground with the band's three keyboardists, creating a richly textured soundscape in the process. The breathtaking closing track, "The Ikon," contains so many different musical twists and turns it could practically be an album in itself.
- Todd Rundgren
- Starcastle
- Adrian Belew